Laphroaig 200th Anniversary

For Laphroaig's 200th Anniversary We Got A Sneak Peek Inside Their Legendary Distillery

Recently, I was fortunate enough to join a small cadre of international journalists as invited guests of Laphroaig to get the inside skinny on two centuries of whisky-making. Making the journey was a no-brainer: Laphroaig was the first Scotch label I drank (in my early 20s) after devouring Peter Mayle’s Acquired Tastes, wherein he praises the whisky’s smoky divisiveness. Even as my palate and understanding of the broad range of Scotch whisky offerings has expanded, Laphroaig continues to serve as a go-to. Though if you don’t like the massive peat-and-Bandaid nature of the spirit, the company says it's cool, as evidenced by their charming “Opinions Welcome” marketing campaign. "It's too strong for some people," distillery manager John Campbell acknowledges. "We're okay with that."

In 1815, Andrew Jackson was wrapping up the final battles of a three-year British-American conflict. Napoleon snuck out of Elba, only to be defeated six months later at Waterloo. And an unassuming, windswept Scottish island soon hosted two iconic whisky names: Ardbeg and Laphroaig, eventually establishing the heavy smoke-peat character this region of Scotland has become known for. Considering that the island is just over 20 miles across and lies almost as close to Ireland as it does to Scotland, it’s sobering (pun intended) to note that eight major distilleries call Islay home.

Islay is accessible only by boat or small plane, but thousands of whisky fans from around the globe make the pilgrimage each year. The Friends of Laphroaig, an online membership you can join after purchasing your first bottle, even scores you a square foot of land you can visit any time you’re in the area (you can demand "rent" in the form of a free dram of whisky at the visitors' center).

In the slide show, highlights of what we learned, and what you might experience should you be fortunate enough to score the detailed “Water to Whisky” tour. Oh yeah, and we drank whisky. Lots and lots of whisky. So much whisky.

Aerial

Thomas Skovsende

In Dave Broom’s The World Atlas of Whisky, he asserts that “to fully appreciate the island, you must sail there.” Perhaps, but to score a killer view of the distillery, make the 20-minute flight from Glasgow. Loch Lomond Seaplanes offers flights for about $150 per person each way.

Water

Robert Haynes-Peterson

Founders (and hopeful cattle ranchers) Donald and Alexander Johnston tapped into a small lake in the low hills a short walk from the distillery (Johnston family descendent Ian Hunter secured the water exclusively for Laphroaig in the 1920s). The gravity-fed system provides unfiltered water used for soaking and fermenting barley to this day. Tasting better than it looks, water from the source is THE BEST for opening up your dram of 10-Year.

Peat

Thomas Skovsende

The secret to smoky, medicinal Scotch is peat—the same ancient, anaerobically-formed mud that creates Bog Men mummies—and there’s tons of the stuff on Islay. Dried (or in Laphroaig’s case, not), it’s warmed home fires in wood-starved Scotland and Ireland for centuries. A special tool called (oddly enough) a “peat cutter” creates identical bricks (200 tons of bricks each year in Laphroaig's case) for even firing.

Distillery Bay

Thomas Skovsende

"Laphroaig” essentially means “That big hollow in the bay over there.” The brand's malt mill was so distinctive that neighboring Lagavulin built an exact replica in the early 1900s. Islay distilleries are located oceanside and painted white, so supply boats can more easily spot them.

Floor Malting

Thomas Skovsende

Barley (the only grain used in Scotch single malts) is allowed to partially germinate (or malt) over the course of about six days. Laphroaig “floor malts” about 15% of their total barley (the rest comes from the Port Ellen Malting facility) employing century-old floor plows to turn the grains. It’s that 15% that helps give Laphroaig its very distinctive aroma and taste, according to Campbell. Around 3.3 million liters of whisky are produced here each year.

Smoking Room

Thomas Skovsende

Another “secret”: Laphroaig burns its peat “cold,” tossing it in the fire while still moist and covering the fire with a mulch that allows it to smoke continuously and preventing open flames from heating things up too much. The result is an unusual infusion that, even after 17 hours of smoking (in a special floor 16 feet above the fires) doesn’t dry out the grains.

Still

Robert Haynes-Peterson

Like most Scotch whiskies, Laphroaig is double-distilled (Auchentoshan is a notable exception, being triple-distilled like many Irish whiskeys). Unlike many, however, the second distillation involves liquids created in two distinct still sizes (creating different aromas and flavors that are married before aging), a longer-than-usual “foreshot,” and an upward-bending line arm that allows the reflux (heavier oils ’n stuff) to be recycled into the ongoing distillation rather than be trapped in the neck. All of this contributes to the rich tar/seaweed notes found in the finished product.

Aging

Thomas Skovsende

Once the whisky’s made and barreled (mostly in American ex-Bourbon), it ages in one of two warehouses onsite (as well as, like most Scottish distilleries, at warehouses across the mainland). Warehouse #1 is the century-old Dunnage warehouse, a three-story, wood-and-stone space that invites in the sea air and provides distinctive flavor notes blended into the finished product (or used on their own as in this year’s limited-edition Cairdeas expression).

Opinions Welcome

Thomas Skovsende

For the past couple of years, “Opinions Welcome” provides uncensored, divided thoughts from both first-time and longtime drinkers of one of Scotland’s “most strongly flavored” whiskies. To celebrate the bicentennial, the top 200 opinions (positive or negative) of 2015 will win prizes, including, possibly, a trip for two to Islay. You can submit yours here.

Tasting

Robert Haynes-Peterson

To celebrate the 200th anniversary, a number of unique expressions were released, including a limited edition 15-year in the U.K. and a 21-year celebrating the Friends of Laphroaig’s anniversary - it’s now old enough to drink itself. For the annual Cairdeas release, this year distiller John Campbell went back to the brand’s roots, aging a whisky solely in Warehouse 1 (the no-frills Dunnage Warehouse). Want to learn more? Catch a special edition of Laphroaig Livethis fall (check website for the still-TBD date).